


Overcorrected

by onlyhereforellick



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, post beginning of s17, sequel to Decompression Round II, tag 16x18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-18 13:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21711502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyhereforellick/pseuds/onlyhereforellick
Summary: The feeling of finally having the woman he dreamed of burned forever in his memory.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	Overcorrected

**Author's Note:**

> finally banging out some old sequels I promised 👊🏼😌
> 
> probably won’t make sense unless you read Decompression Round II first!

McGee had asked Nick if he wanted him to wait, violently he shook his head no. Hopefully, if all went well, he wouldn’t need a ride home. But if he did...well he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

Nick hopped out of the passenger side of McGee’s car and slightly stumbled over to Ellie’s stoop. The drinks were starting to wear off, but man he felt a blast from the past with the last time he was drunk on Ellie’s stoop. He’d bared it all then, could he do it again?

Knocking harder than necessary, Nick pressed his forehead to her door, praying she wasn’t already asleep. Somehow, for a federal agent, Ellie slept like the dead—it was near impossible to wake her up. He’d learned that lesson one movie night when she passed out on the couch and he spent fifteen minutes attempting to rouse her before just carrying her to bed. 

The alcohol in his system dulled his response time, so even though he heard the deadbolt twist, he didn’t react fast enough before the door swung open and Nick’s weight was propelled forward into Ellie’s foyer.

Now normally, Nick would’ve expected a noise of shock and surprise from Ellie. When that didn’t come, he peered up at her to see the hints of an evil grin across her face with her arms crossed over her chest.  _She did that on purpose_ ,  Nick thought to himself and while he should be mad, weirdly it had him heating up for other reasons. Their playful banter was something he loved about her—he missed it. It was high time he told her so. 

Slowly righting himself to standing, he started with a simple, “I’m sorry.”

“Damn right you should be,” was Ellie’s no-nonsense retort. Arms still crossed, foot tapping on the hardwoods, she looked downright pissed.

“Gibbs head-slapped me,” Nick offered as if an explanation to his prior actions.

That caught her off guard, her arms came undone and Nick finally saw what she was wearing- a silk robe and nothing underneath, that much was obvious by the slight chill in the air. His breath caught at the sight of her so intimate. Her worried voice snapped his eyes back up to her face, “What the hell? Why did he slap you?” 

“He said I shouldn’t let my pride be a mistake,” Nick explained, still with little expounding—the alcohol may have given him courage, but it didn’t seem to help with his eloquence.

“What- what does that even mean?” Ellie asked dumbfounded.

Nick shook his head slightly, “It means...it means I was too prideful after you accused me of murder. And I let it fester.” Ellie opened her mouth to rebuke, but Nick stopped her with a single finger hovering in the air. “And I did  _ that _ because I’m in love with you. And it hurt that much more to have me deepest fear thrown in my face by the woman I love. But you didn’t deserve that, Ellie. And for that, I’m sorry.” Nick ended and Ellie looked ready to cry.

He closed the space between them and reached a hand out to stroke her hair, cupping her face in the process. Catching a tear that escaped with his rough thumb on her smooth cheek, he felt his heart splinter. “Babe, I’m so sorry- don’t cry.”

A small sniffle escaped Ellie, “Nick, it’s not you that needs to apologize,” she said in exasperation. Her eyes lifted up from their fixed spot on the floor in front of her to look at him through wet eyelashes. “I should have never—“ she trailed off looking pained.

Nick brought his other hand up to her face, “Ellie you didn’t know,” he tried to assuage her.

With a small shake to her head she cast her gaze downward again, “No. I- I overcorrected. I was too afraid of, well- you know.” Ellie looked back at up at him like that was enough of an answer.

Nick was lost as hell. Gently he probed, “I know what? El, you’re crying and I’m confused.”

“I worry about you because I love you, idiot,” she said with a wet chuckle. “I was terrified that you and everyone else would realize that so I retreated into my brain and then royally screwed up.” Ellie paused as her eyes searched his, “Nick I’m  so sorry, I hope one day I can gain your trust back.”

Nick barely heard a word past “I love you” and honestly it didn’t matter what she said. He’d forgiven Ellie the moment Gibbs slapped sense into him. Enough denying himself, it was finally time to be with Ellie.

But at the moment, she looked like she was on the verge of breaking. Her face looked delicate in between his large hands. Thick with emotion Nick whispered her name, “Ellie...”

It was a request for permission and so much more. He felt more than saw the tiniest of nods to her head, and Nick wasted not a second more. Dipping his head to take her lips with his, he said all he couldn’t with words in his kiss. The feeling of finally having the woman he dreamed of burned forever in his memory. And while that little slip of silk trickled off her shoulders now, well- let’s just say Nick made Ellie hang onto that for special occasions...


End file.
